In the modern dynamic and evolving freelance environment where independence and flexibility are prized values, having the set of best freelance tools can be the key to success.

Freelancing world is widely shaped by technological advancements, increasing client expectations and a highly competitive market which is growing every day. To not only survive as a freelancer but to thrive, you need more than just your skills; you need the best freelance software that empowers you to work smarter, collaborate, and stay ahead of the competition.

In this article, we'll explore the fourteen best freelance tools that can transform your freelance career, boost your productivity, enhance client relationships, and scale your business.

why freelancers need to use Popl

14 Top Freelance Tools for Freelancers

1. Networking Tools for freelancers: Popl

Popl simplifies the process of networking and makes it more effective, sustainable, and engaging. It enables freelancers to expand their connections and easily seize new opportunities. Digital business cards allow seamless contact exchange with a single tap or scan, eliminating the need of paper business cards. This not only makes the process environmentally sustainable by reducing paper waste but also ensures that important contacts are never lost, thanks to digital storage.

For freelancers, who operate in highly competitive, opportunity-rich landscapes, Popl proves to be an indispensable tool. It breaks down barriers to communication and connection, allowing them to seize every chance to showcase their skills and expand their clientele. The ease and speed of sharing contact information mean no opportunity is missed, even in passing encounters or casual meetings.

Furthermore, Popl enhances the user experience by making these professional interactions more engaging. The traditional business card exchange can be a formal, impersonal process, but Popl allows customization and personal expression through Popl digital business cards. Users can share not just their contact information, but also a piece of their professional identity and personality, making every exchange unique and memorable.

Best features:

Interactive digital business card- share your card easily and be eco-friendly.
Personalized business profiles- include your contact information.
QR code scanning to network easily- connect quickly and easily with other professionals.
Embedded Social Media Links- add social media links to your business card.

Analytics and Interaction Tracking- check the data of how often your profile is viewed or shared.

Price: Free trial available, Subscription plan starts at $6,49/ month.
Rating: 4,7/5 G2.com.
Review: “It's a great networking tool that eliminates the need for paper cards. ” (Devin, 2023 - G2).
Alternatives: LinkedIn, Beaconstac, Haystack, HiHello.

2. Calendar Tools for freelancers: Calendly

In an era where time is money, Calendly allows freelancers to manage their schedules effectively, improve their interactions with clients, and ultimately focus on what they do best – delivering outstanding work. Calendly elevates the time organization, making it an essential time management freelance tool.

Best features:

Seamless scheduling- set your availability preference, find a suitable meeting time and many more.
Customizable meeting types- create different types of meetings with unique settings.
Integration with other calendar softwares- integrate with Google Calendar, Outlook or Apple Calendar.

Price: Basic features for free, Subscription starts at $8/ month/ seat- $16/ month/ seat.
Rating: 4,9/5 App Store.
Review: “Easy and efficient scheduling software.” (Annie, 2023 - App Store).
Alternatives: Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Doodle, Microsoft Outlook Calendar.

3. Time Tracking Tools for freelancers: Toggl

Are you in search of the best time tracking tool for freelancers? By accurately tracking working time and providing insights into your work patterns, Toggl enables freelancers to optimize their productivity, bill clients accurately, and focus on delivering expected results in their freelance careers.

Best features:

Separate time tracking for each client or project- record the time you spent on different tasks.
User-friendly interface.
Reporting and analytics of work patterns- identify easily how you spend your work time.

Price: Basic features for free, Subscription starts at $9/ month /user- $18/ month/ user.
Rating: 4,6/5 G2.com.
Review: “Quick and easy way to keep track of your time spent on various tasks of the day.” (Serena, 2023 - G2).
Alternatives: Clockify, Harvest, ClockShark, RescueTime.

4. Project Management Tools for freelancers: Asana

Asana provides a comprehensive solution to precisely plan, track, and execute various projects. Project management tools for freelancers like Asana enable freelancers to manage their workloads more effectively, collaborate seamlessly, and ensure that every project is a success.

Best features:

Task management for each project- break down big projects to small manageable tasks.
Collaborative workspace for team members- communicate and share files with your colleagues.
Detailed project plans- outline your goals, timelines and milestones.

Price: Basic features for free, Subscription starts at $10,99/mo/user- $24,99/mo/user.
Rating: 4,3/5 G2.com.
Review: “Project management becomes easier for me with Asana.” (Varundeep, 2023 - G2).
Alternatives: Trello, ClickUp, Monday.com, Wrike.

5. Communication Tools for freelancers: Slack

Slack provides a centralized platform where teams can effectively communicate, share files and stay organized. Are you working with remote clients or coordinating tasks with a team? Slack is the best freelance software to simplify communication, ensuring that you're always connected and available.

Best features:

Different channels for organization- create different channels for different projects or clients.
Real-time messaging- communicate with your coworkers anytime.
File sharing and archivation.

Price: Basic features for free, Subscription starts at $7,25/ month/ user- $15,00/ month/ user.
Rating: 4,5/5 G2.com.
Review: “Perfect tool to communicate with a team.” ( Dilshad, 2023 - G2).
Alternatives: WhatsApp Business, Miro, Telegram.

6. Finance Tools for freelancers: Billdu

Do you find the process of generating invoices to be time-consuming and intricate? Billdu is a game-changer for freelancers when it comes to managing finances and invoicing clients. It simplifies the invoicing process, helping freelancers maintain a healthy cash flow and stay organized.

Best features:

Easy invoice creation- create professional invoices quickly and make invoice generation automated.
Expense tracking- track all expenses related to your work.

Reporting and analytics of your cash flow.

Price: Basic features for free, Subscription starts at $3,99/ month- $16,99/ month.
Rating: 4,8/5 App store.
Review: “Easy, offers a super professional way to communicate billing to clients.” (Shalyn, 2023 - App store).
Alternatives: FreshBooks, SquareInvoices, Bonsai, InvoiceSimple.

7. Cloud Storage Tools for freelancers: Dropbox

Dropbox is a leading cloud storage and file-sharing freelance tool, highly recommended for its adaptability and user-friendly interface. It enables freelancers to securely store, access, and collaborate on their files from anywhere.

Best features:

Smooth file syncing- have your files always up-to-date on all devices.
Advanced security- use two-factor authentication to access your files.
File sharing and collaboration- share files to colleagues or clients.

Price: Free trial available, Subscription starts at $18,00/ month/ user- $83/ month/ user.
Rating: 4,8/5 App store.
Review: “Secure business collaboration and storage.” (Mohamed, 2023 - App store).
Alternatives: Google Drive, OneDrive.

8. Security Tool for Freelancers: Internxt

Internxt is a secure open-source cloud storage solution known for its emphasis on user privacy. Freelancers can use Internxt to securely share, store, or sync their files, projects, or photos through end-to-end and client-side encryption.

Best features:

Advanced security - be safe with end-to-end and client-side encrypted.

Zero Knowledge - hold the decryption keys to your data and control who can access your files.

Available across all devices - gain access to your files on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Linux.

Price: Up to 10GB of free storage. Monthly plans start at $0.99 for 20GB up to $9.99 for 2TB.
Rating: 4/5 App Store.
Review: “The best encrypted Dropbox alternative.” (Cristian, 2023 - GetApp).
Alternatives: Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive.

9. Email Marketing Tools for freelancers: Mailbutler

Mailbutler is a powerful email marketing freelance software designed to boost your email communication and productivity. It offers a great amount of features that enhance the way you compose, manage, and track your emails.

Best features:

Real-time email tracking- see when the recipient opens your email and click-through rates.
Follow-up reminders- send follow-up emails on time.
Scheduled emails- schedule your email to be sent later.

Price: Free trial available, Subscription starts at $3,95/ month/ seat - $29,95/ month/ seat.
Rating: 4,2/5 App store.
Review: “An essential part of managing volume emails.” (David, 2023 - App store).
Alternatives: Mailchimp, Constant Contact, GetResponse.

10. Social Media Marketing Tools for freelancers: Buffer

Are you searching for a way to simplify and boost your online presence? Buffer is a top-tier social media marketing tool for freelancers that elevates the management and scheduling of social media content. It offers a number of features that enhance your social media engagement and presence.

Best features:

Multi-platform content scheduling- share and plan content on all social media platforms you use.
Customizable posting queues- ensure that your content is shared consistently.
Visual calendar of scheduled content- stay organized and cohesive to your strategy.

Price: Basic features for free, Subscription starts at $6,00/ month, $12,00/ month/ team, $100,00/ month/ agency.
Rating: 4,3/5 G2.com.
Review: “Made social media management easy.” (Daniel, 2023 - G2).
Alternatives: Hootsuite, Sprout Social, Later.

11. AI Editing Tools for freelancers: Picsart

Picsart is an AI-assisted photo editing software that comes with everything a novice and pro graphic designer could ever need. With Picsart, you can change or create new designs with a single click. Its hundreds of templates, stock photos, and vector graphics make it easy for you to create anything your heart desires.

Best features:

AI-powered tools- create or edit images in seconds.
Vast asset library- design stunning graphics with pre-made assets.
Brand-focused designs- save your fonts and colors for quick branding visuals.

Price: Free with basic features, Subscription starts at $7.50/ month- $9.16/ month.
Rating: 4.7/5 App Store.
Review: “I started using Picsart, and I fell in love with it. I use it for all of my editing.” (Joslyn G., 2022 - App Store).
Alternatives: Pixlr, Adobe Lightroom, GIMP, PhotoScape

12. Design Tools for freelancers: Visme

Visme is an innovative graphic design tool that empowers users to create stunning visuals with ease. With a user-friendly interface and a wide range of templates, it's ideal for professionals, educators, and marketers alike.

Best features:

Extensive library of templates, charts and widgets- use professional templates to level up your design.
AI image genarator tool
Drag-and-drop intuitive interface- be truly creative in an easy way.

Price: The Free plan allows for basic design capabilities, while the Standard plan at $15 per month adds premium templates and features. The Business plan, at $29 per month, provides team collaboration and analytics.
Rating: 4,5/5 G2.com.
Review: “I like the options and templates. I am not a graphic artist, so the user-friendly aspect works well for me.” (Heather P., 2023 - G2).
Alternatives: Canva, Figma, Adobe Creative Cloud, Inkscape.

13. Writing Tools for freelancers: ChatGPT

Are you in need of an assistant in your freelancing business? ChatGPT is empowered by artificial intelligence to generate human-like text, answer questions, and assist freelancers with a wide range of writing tasks. It's an invaluable assistant for content creators, writers, and other freelancers seeking support with various tasks.

Best features:

Natural human-like responses.

Context understanding- follow up on any above asked question.
Versatile writing assistance- write articles, social media posts or anything of your need.

Price:Free version available, Subscription plan $20/ month.
Rating: 4,7/5 G2.com.
Review: “Tool increasing my daily productivity 2x! “ (Gulshan, 2023 - G2).
Alternatives: Grammarly, Scrivener, FocusWriter.

14. Learning Tools for freelancers: Udemy

Udemy is a leading online educational platform that provides a number of courses and educational resources for freelancers looking to acquire new skills or deepen their knowledge. If you're looking to scale up your career, explore new areas, or stay up-to-date with industry trends, Udemy is the best tool for lifelong learning.

Best features:

Diverse course options- learn any subject you can imagine.
Lifetime access to enrolled courses- return to some of the lessons later.
Instructors with expertise- learn from the best in the field.

Price: Free demo available, Subscription plan starts at $360,00/ year/ user.
Rating: 4,5/5 G2.com.
Review: “Great career development tool.“ ( Luis, 2023 - G2).
Alternatives: Coursera, edX, Skillshare, FutureLearn.

The Benefits of Using Freelance Tools

According to a recent research by Fiverr, 71% of U.S. employees are planning to freelance in 2023. Are you one of them or do you just need to scale up your existing freelancing career? The days when you relied solely on your skills and word of mouth to secure freelance projects are gone due to massive rivalry.

To stand out in this competitive freelancing field, you need a thoughtful, focused and strategic approach that goes beyond traditional methods. That's where the best freelance tools we're about to uncover come into play. These tools are not just about convenience; they are about maximizing your potential, streamlining your workflow, connecting with clients seamlessly, and boosting your productivity.

Explore the top advantages of utilizing freelance tools:

Increased Efficiency
Enhanced Communication
Effective Time Tracking
Improved Organization and Planning
Financial Analysis and Secure Payments
Portfolio Showcase
Client Relationship Management

Just as Popl's digital business cards are a revolution in freelance networking, we introduce you some other tools for freelancers which will be the revolution in the way you freelance, allowing you to scale up your freelancing business.

Final Thoughts

These freelance tools collectively form the toolkit to succeed with. Each of these freelance tools is precisely designed to respond to specific needs of a busy worker. They enable you to effectively face every aspect of your work, starting with project management to continuously learning and growing.

The real beauty of these tools lies in their synergy. If you use them together, they help you to have a smooth workflow that maximize your productivity and minimize your overwhelmedness with administration and useless tasks.

The time is now. Take charge of your freelance career, empower yourself with these essential tools, and scale your business today! Your path to success in the freelance world has never been clearer.